Machines of Eden

by Shad Callister

  For several minutes he followed the tunnel, sensing that it curved to the right in a long, gradual loop. He wondered if the right hand tunnel would meet up with the one he was in, forming a huge circular track. If so, all the bots had to do was send one after him, and another down the right hand tunnel. Sooner or later he’d be caught between them.

  Then he came to another T-intersection and stopped. The tunnel continued to his right into the distance, but to his left it immediately began to slope steeply upward and he could see a grid of light at the top. He stared at it, uneasy. It looked like an exit, but the hill he was traveling through was much too large for this to be the far side.

  John hadn’t heard any sounds of pursuit in the last five minutes, but bots were capable of surprising stealth when needed. One could appear behind him any minute. He took a running start and got about halfway up the slope before sliding back down. It was more of a shaft to be climbed than a ramp, but much narrower and with a lower ceiling than the large one below. By going backward and pressing his hands overhead against the ceiling, he got enough traction to inch up the slope to the grate.

  It was about half a meter square, a stainless steel grid bolted into the walls of the tunnel, forming a grillwork of perhaps six-centimeter squares. He hooked his fingers through them to keep from sliding back and peered through the grate, attention riveted by what he saw.

  The room on the other side of the grate was well-lit and spacious, but deserted. Industrial grade metal cabinets, tables, and rolling chairs were pushed against the walls, piled with machinery and equipment, only some of it familiar. It looked like a workshop or production lab.

  He felt a gust of hope. If he could get inside, he would be in his element. No more jungle. He didn’t like the jungle – too many variables, too much he didn’t know. But inside, with walls and lights and tools...

  He examined the grate, darting a look behind him every few seconds for bots. He could detect no security apparatus visible to the eye. Slipping a hand inside his trousers, he brought out his emergency toolkit. He kept it in a small case strapped to his left thigh, almost in his groin – undetectable to all but a thorough frisk. He selected a screwdriver and set to work.

  Three minutes later the grate was off and John was inside. He blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the brighter light, and examined his surroundings. It was indeed, as he had suspected, a small manufacturing lab. The only entrance, other than the grate, was a door set in the far wall. There were no windows. Energy coils and fuel cells were scattered across a dusty countertop to his right, a big soldering table stood at his left, and small rails on the floor led from the room’s only door to the grate he had entered through. A large metal ventilation hood surrounded the grate on the inside.

  The equipment was expensive, but dated – ten years old or more. It puzzled him. A thick layer of dust covered all surfaces and there was no sign of any activity. If anyone was controlling the bots, they weren’t doing it from this room.

  I’d bet a jar of real pre-war strawberries that this place is much, much bigger than this room. I smell massive technology.

  A familiar shape off to the side shifted his attention from the door. Behind a large autoclave, lying prone on a table, was the armless torso and head of a bot, an old pre-war android with bare wiring protruding from its eye sockets. Dust covered this one as well. He stared at it, questions crowding in, until he shook his head.

  First things first.

  The Sergeant was muttering in his brain, but he already knew what the Sergeant wanted, so he ignored him. On a nearby bench lay a lightweight ratcheting ring spanner with a flat screwdriver on the other end. John felt silly holding it as a weapon, but it was better than his bare hand for now, and could come in handy against hardware beyond the scope of his emergency pack.

  Now he approached the door. To his surprise, it slid upward with a pneumatic hiss, revealing a long hallway to his left, a short one ahead ending in a door, and to his right a small alcove with an array of monitors and digital readout screens. No one was visible, and he dodged quickly across the hallway to the other door. An observation window was set into the door, and staying clear of the motion sensor that would actuate this door, he peered through.

  The room beyond was much larger, and clearly an android production facility. The lights were on and he could see several body parts and trays of old bot pieces, but again the place looked like it hadn’t seen heavy use in some time. He waved his hand across the motion sensor, curious to examine the bot remnants in closer detail, but the door remained shut.

  “Welcome to Alpha Facility.”

  It was a woman’s voice, echoing from somewhere down the long hallway. John spun, eyes darting, and then peeked cautiously around the corner into the hallway.

  Nothing.

  “Please come to Level Two.”

  The voice was perfect. Cultured and sexy; the rich tone of a professional speech artist. Regular women seldom spoke like that; at least none John had had the pleasure of meeting. Despite the uncertainty of the moment, he found himself wondering what she looked like, and grinned at his own intrepidity.

  “Just follow the hallway to your left.”

  This time he traced the voice to a small intercom mounted in the ceiling, snugly nested in a hidden alcove alongside what looked like a camera. There were no cams at his end of the hallway, so it must have picked him up from that distance. Either someone with very good eyes was monitoring that exact screen at the time he darted across the hall, or they had some technology that he had underestimated. Stealth was out of the question.

  “There's no need for apprehension. I am pleased that you are here. Any concerns you may entertain will be addressed when you reach Level Two, where we can get better acquainted with each other.”

  No need for apprehension? A few steps brought him directly underneath the intercom.

  “Who are you?” John asked.

  “I am Eve.”

  “Where am I, Eve?”

  “You are in Alpha Facility, Level Five. You must proceed to Level Two for further information.”

  “Where am I geographically? What island is this?”

  “Answers to all your questions will be given if you'll just come to Level Two.”

  She sounded like a very confident, powerful woman that knew exactly what she wanted and knew she could get it. Whoever she was, if she could see and hear him, chances were she could also seal doors remotely, and worse. It was pointless to resist and evade until he found out more, and it seemed unlikely that she would harm him before he reached Level Two, wherever that was.

  There was also the possibility that she was an expensive, high-class administrative AI. Powerful artificial intelligences were rare, but if one was running this place, he would need to be very careful around her. Underestimating the reasoning abilities of AI could get you killed very quickly.

  The Sergeant rasped in his head. Watch what you say! They remember everything, everything!

  He’d heard stories, old stories, about twentieth century chess matches between computers and humans. The humans had even won a few. Those days were long gone. Even a basic bot now could compete in multiple simultaneous chess tournaments and win every single one. AI these days could pick out details that humans barely noticed, and use that information to form surprisingly accurate predictions of human behavior – the next best thing to actually being able to see the future.

  From his current position he looked over the monitors in the alcove at the hall’s end, but couldn’t see anything helpful. Some air filter statistics, controls to bring Cars 1 through 11 down the rails that were set into the floor of the hallway, and some meaningless numbers for pressure valves, gas lines, and maximum amperage safety levels for the bot labs.

  “Eve?”

  “Yes, Adam?”

  Adam? John frowned. That wasn't like an AI. It must really be a human controller, one with a bizarre sense of humor.

  “What did you call me?”

  “I c
alled you Adam.”

  “Why did you call me Adam?”

  “I'll answer that when you join me on Level Two.”

  I just bet. It almost sounded like she was grinning. Definitely a human.

  “I wanted to ask if you set those bots on me in the jungle.”

  “Unfortunately, several maintenance bots have exceeded their programming and become unstable. I cannot control them unless they return for maintenance, which may take several weeks. I apologize if any of them hindered your progress.”

  Hindered my progress? More like herded me here. And someone outfitted these “maintenance bots” with grenade launchers.

  “I see.” His voice was too wry, and she picked up on it right away.

  “Please, Adam, work with me. I deserve the benefit of your doubt, I assure you. You'll find answers to all your questions as well as food, water, and medical supplies on Level Two. There is no need for any hesitation on your part.”

  “I disagree.”

  “I assure you, I mean you no harm. Had I wished you to be terminated, it would already have taken place.”

  “You have a beautiful voice, Eve,” John said. “I'd love to meet you in person and see what kind of body goes with it.”

  She didn’t miss a beat, injecting exactly the same level of flirtiness into her voice. “And I you, Adam. Level Two. It’s all in Level Two.”

  “My name is John, actually. It’s definitely not Adam.”

  “But it will be.”

  This was going nowhere. Level Two it is.

  John cautiously made his way up the corridor. Eve’s last statement set his mind in a deep churn. He was genuinely uncertain now who or what he was speaking to. If she was a bot, she was unlike anything he'd ever spoken to. If not, ditto. Either way, he needed to meet her face to face, if that was possible. Even the more advanced Turing test bots were revealed as such once you dug in with certain questions.

  But why call me Adam?

  There were a lot of crazy humans around, but machines went nuts too, sometimes. John, more than anyone, could attest to that. It was uncommon, but it happened. Some of the most advanced pre-war AI programs had demonstrated hidden flaws, sometimes in the programming, sometimes in the susceptibility to corruption or infiltration. During the war, the Grays had engineered a killer worm that took down half the Greens’ Far Eastern Defense Network in just four minutes. Machines could definitely fail.

  It could be as simple as a whacked-out admin bot running through some failing welcome routines, but John felt uneasy. Her assurance that he would become Adam was bizarre and unlike any programming glitch he’d encountered before. His instincts were aroused.

  Humor her. He realized he was thinking of it in the feminine. It’s that voice. She sounds so real. She has to be. No yes no yes no.

  He decided to try once again to crack her open, if she was crackable, and adjusted his voice to a timid whine. “If I enter Level Two, I'm afraid of not being able to find my way back again.” The more he could get her to speak, the better chance of understanding her programming, or lack thereof. And if she was a human... well, women in power were difficult in their own ways.

  “There will be no need to return; Level Five is all but unused.”

  “Eve, are you an artificial?" John asked.

  Eve’s laugh was beautiful. "Do I sound like one?"

  "Well, I haven't seen you yet. It's disconcerting, walking around here getting chatted up by intercoms."

  "I didn't choose your unique point of entry to the Facility. I'm only trying to guide you down to where we can do business."

  "Got it,” he said. “So, what kind of facility is this? I mean, it smells like an old military shell from back in the day. What's it being used for?"

  "Our mission is to monitor the larger ecosystem of the island and maintain biostasis while collecting data.”

  "So you’re just an eco-management program?” See if she'll bite that hook.

  "The Project is much more than a computerized program, Adam. Come and see. I want to show you everything."

  “Were you involved in the war, Eve?”

  “There is no war here, Adam. Here, we have peace.”

  “Tell that to the bots outside.”

  “I have already explained that they are malfunctioning units over which I have no control.”

  “Are there any humans on this island, Eve?”

  “Come to Level Two and find out. I'll be waiting for you.”

  She's not budging and this is going nowhere. Time to make another move, draw her out.

  John stepped into another of the control alcoves with the lights and buttons, and perused the controls for the minirail cars. He recalled the nearest unit, Car 2.

  “Adam, what are you doing? Why are you requesting Car 2?”

  He ignored her. If she had control over the cars, he’d soon find out. He studied the console screens above him. Level Five, where he was now, was built into the side of the hill he had entered. Levels Four through One were stacked below it, subterranean chambers that grew progressively larger as they descended, like sections of a beehive.

  The place was huge for the size of the island it was on. There was a floor full of offices and control stations, a cafeteria, an active robotics lab in addition to the disused shop he had come in through, plenty of storage areas, and living space for fifteen or twenty people. He wondered how many were home now, or if any were at all.

  According to the schematics, the far side of the hill was a sheer cliff extending down much farther than the elevation at which he’d entered. None of the facility levels actually exited to the outside except Two, which had a door opening out at the bottom of the cliff face. Level One was completely underground.

  There’s no exit except the tunnel I came in through. That means there’s only one way to get beyond this facility and avoid the bot jungle behind me. Level Two.

  An electric hum signaled the arrival of Car 2 in the hallway, and momentarily a low rail car pulled to a stop in front of his doorway. It was a bulbous thing of muted gray plastic with a single bench. Punching the button to send the car on to a random room 52 which he hoped was in the opposite direction of Level 2, John crouched behind it. The front section was a raised cargo rack, and it provided a good enough shield. As the car moved back up the hall, he ran along behind it, trying to stay out of sight of the camera in the ceiling.

  “Adam, this is very counterproductive. I can see you.”

  When he got to the end of the hallway, he got ready to run to the front of the car so as to keep the car between himself and the camera array. But instead of turning left, the car turned to the right, where the diagram showed the entrance to Level Two lay.

  Should have seen that one coming.

  He glanced quickly down both hallways, and seeing no threats to the left he ran that way as the car trundled to the right toward a large set of interlocking security doors with “To Levels 4, 3, and 2” glowing in blue across the top.

  “Adam, you'll take several minutes longer getting to Level Two that way,” Eve’s voice called through the corridors. “If you wish to explore the facility, I can offer a detailed holo-tour once you arrive, but I'm under some time constraints now and would prefer you to just cooperate with me.”

  The hallway ended at a door. It too had an observation window through which he could see what lay on the other side: a tunnel much like the one he had entered the Facility through. Twenty meters ahead he could see daylight.

  Between him and the exit was the Koyuki battle ‘droid, gun barrels spinning slowly in place.

  “Adam, I need you to listen to me now. Without further delay, I want you to enter Level Two and I will guide you to my Observation Deck where we can talk. I have need of you, and you have need of me. You have a reason for being here, as do we all. I know you must be feeling bewildered and you're just reacting to your stress, but you have to trust me. There is no other way, and my time is running out. Please.”

  John walked slowly back do
wn the hall, keeping an eye on the camera on the ceiling. She could see his face clearly now, but there was no way of getting around that. If she had access to the bots’ sensors outside, she would already have gotten a good look at him in the jungle.

  Ahead, the security doors slid open.

  “As you can see, there is nothing to threaten you down here. Just head down toward the elevators and I will guide you to the Observation Deck. I am watching every step.”

  I just bet you are. “To tell the truth, Eve, I feel like a prisoner.”

  “I fully understand,” Eve replied. “All will be explained, as I said.”

  “But only if I go to Level Two, right? You’re trying to corner me.”

  “Why are you so being so hostile to me? I don’t mean to belabor the point, but your behavior is both counterproductive and stubborn. If I had known you would try to exit that way, I would have warned you about the security units stationed there.”

  “Who stationed them there, Eve?”

  She didn’t answer.

  Just outside the doors there was an elevator in one wall and a short hatchway that the railcar had disappeared down. John cautiously walked over and kicked it, but the hatch doors were solid.

  “I can make Level Two much more comfortable for you than this,” said Eve. “Once our business has been negotiated. Refreshment, rest, music. I have it all down here.”

  John’s sunburn itched as the air conditioning dried the sweat on his body. I could use a shower and a drink.

  But I don't trust her, and I won't be manipulated.

  The hatchway couldn’t be forced open, but the elevator doors were another story. The display above them showed that the elevator was still down below, waiting for him to call it. Instead of pushing the button to bring it up, he used his ratchet’s screwdriver end to force the plate off of the button panel.

  “Adam, that is not safe. Please call the elevator and step inside.”

  “Explain the bot attacks,” John said quietly, without looking up.